Tuesday, May 20, 2008

ConfusingBus

I have been car free for about a week now. It has been good, but as I have been riding the bus more, there are some things that are very frustrating about the system out here in Langley that I am noticing. The first is bus routing.

You need a masters degree in transit timetable reading to figure out where the 501 [Langley Centre]/590 [Langley South] (this is the same bus route, BTW) goes.

– 501 (both directions) Operates locally at all stops for pick-up and drop-off between LangleyCentre and Surrey Central Station.– 590 to Surrey Central Station Stops for pick-up and drop-off are made at all local stops up to andincluding Guildford Exchange. Beyond this point stops are made fordrop-off only at Surrey Central Station.– 590 to Langley South Stops for pick-up only at Surrey Central Station and 104th Ave. at 150th.Starting at Guildford Exchange stops are made for both pick-up anddrop-off at all stops to their termini.

Sometimes the 590 [Langley South] only goes to Walnut Grove (which is really North Langley), so figure that out…

Case in point: This weekend the bus driver on the 501 wasn’t sure which routing he was suppose to take on a trip. He spent 5min looking at HIS routing information.

I’m sure Translink could fix this (and other) route's timetable/signage/numbering and make it less confusing for all parties.

To give Translink some credit, the 502 has three different termini, but the timetable and bus signage make it pretty easy to figure out where you’re going.

The second easy fix for Translink is to put the bus route and destination on ALL their bus stop. More often then not, you’ll just get a sign that says “Bus Stop.” This is a throwback to the BC Transit days. The transit systems in Edmonton, Calgary, Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco (to name a few), all put the bus routing number and destination on their signs. From personal experience, it really sucks to be on the wrong side of the street when a bus comes every 30min – 60min.

Bad Sign

Better Sign

Calgary Sign

Translink’s new SMS texting service is great, but it too doesn’t tell you the route’s destination.

Anyway, that my rant and I believe both of my concerns could be addressed for a minimum amount of money ($200k-$300k). In 2007, Translink spent $200k to spruce up Main Street bus service. Surely they could spent the same and spruce up the whole system.

A confusing transit system will not help attract new riders to the system.

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About Me

I am a Langley City Councillor, and advocate for creating sustainable and accessible communities.
Sustainability to me means building a community that will meet the needs of all who choose to live, work, or establish a business in their community today and into the future. It means building a community where small businesses can succeed, which provides services for all members of the community, and that protects the environment. It also means working hard to ensure that the services which a city provides remain affordable.